Market Updates

One of my passions is motorcycling. I share this passion with my son, to my wife's dismay. As he approaches his birthday, next month, he has become interested in getting a motorcycle of his own. We have been online regularly reviewing bikes and their features and prices. I found an electric motorcyc[...]

Geo-politics and oil prices go hand in hand. Last week's announcement by the Saudi Arabian king and crown prince that they were tackling corruption among royal family members led to a rally in oil prices. Still, oil prices have been moving higher for some time, likely meaning that other factors are [...]

Economic and job growth go hand in hand. When the economy improves, more jobs are available. As the labor market tightens, reflected in a declining unemployment rate, we should see an acceleration in wage growth. However, one of many conundrums the current economic environment has posed is why, with[...]

When discussing budgets, how often does a conversation at work or home focus only on revenues? Any discussion about financial planning, whether personal or professional, usually incorporates the opportunity to raise revenue and cut expenses in order to meet a plan or improve on last year's results. [...]

Thirty years ago this Thursday, I was a budding analyst working with two very good stock portfolio managers. I had been on the job three months. On Monday, Oct. 19, 1987, the stock market “crashed.” The S&P 500 Index fell 21% that day after falling 10% the week before. My much more experienc[...]

Last week Wednesday, the “Tax Reform” (subtitled: Unified Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code) plan put forth by Republicans in the House was released and critiqued by politicians from both parties. While there are many unanswered questions about the final details, there are a number of ite[...]

Yesterday the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee (FOMC) concluded their two-day meeting with no change to the Fed Funds interest rate and an anticipated announcement regarding their balance sheet. FOMC Chairman Janet Yellen noted, “We've not made any promises on the path of rates.” With tha[...]

A colleague recently shared a bumper sticker with me that said, “There will be peace when the power of love overcomes the love of power.” With the recent Hurricane Harvey tragedy affecting the Gulf Coast and the threat of Hurricane Irma pending, we have seen many examples of how our citizens uni[...]

Economic growth in the U.S. and Europe has accelerated since the beginning of the year. Here at home, growth has accelerated from below to above 2%, while in Europe growth has gone from below to above 1%. Late in this business cycle, the difference between good and slow growth remains small. Let’s[...]